


Beautiful Boy

by nerdcredred, Ocelot_l



Series: Lifetimes [47]
Category: Atop the Fourth Wall, That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illness, M/M, Memories of a Bad Childhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7247833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdcredred/pseuds/nerdcredred, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocelot_l/pseuds/Ocelot_l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An emergency on Comicron-1 threatens to leave Harvey alone on a day he can't afford to spend alone anymore. He quickly finds another person who requires his time - and it may be exactly what they've both needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beautiful Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Lifetimes can also be found on my Dreamwidth at http://nerdcredred.dreamwidth.org/.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: We do not own the characters, the shows, or the people who portray the characters. These stories are meant as a work of fiction and are fair use. Please support the creators by watching their videos, letting the ads play, buying their DVDs and merchandise, and/or contributing to their Patreon(s). "Beautiful Boy" is performed by John Lennon.

Harvey stood in the front of the stove, whistling happily as he flipped pancakes in a greased skillet. Normally Ninja would be the one working to make breakfast, but Harvey had insisted on taking charge that day and told the dancer to relax. Ninja had gladly slipped his apron over Harvey's head and vanished in a puff of smoke, most likely off to spend the day with Ted, leaving Harvey in charge of breakfast for all.

Once he'd flipped the last pancake onto the neat stack he'd created, Harvey picked up the platter and turned toward the kitchen table, where a drooling 90s Kid was already sitting, fork and knife clenched eagerly in his hands. 

"Duuuuuude...that smells so good," he moaned as his stomach unleashed a rumble as loud as thunder. 

Harvey chuckled and dished a quarter of the stack onto the teen's plate. "You must be hungry to be up at this hour, Junior. Normally we don't see you before noon." 

"How could I ever sleep when all these totally tasty pancakes were calling my name?" Harvey dished a few onto his own plate and took a seat next to 90s Kid, passing him the maple syrup before it was even requested. "Thanks, dude." 90s Kid poured what must have been half the bottle onto his stack before he dug in. "Mmm! So good!" he cried with a mouth so full that his cheeks had puffed up like a chipmunk's. 

"Alright, you can tell me how much of a cooking whiz I am later. For now, concentrate on not choking while you're eating, okay?" 90s Kid nodded and continued his breakfast quietly for a few moments while Harvey did the same. When he only had one pancake to go, though, 90s Kid lowered his fork and glanced over at Harvey with a somewhat shy expression. 

"You know how I said it was the food that caused me to wake up early? Well, that was, like, true, but I also wanted to be up cuz...you know...it's today." 90s Kid looked down when Harvey turned to him, visibly nervous, but a warm hand on his shoulder caused his nerves to settle. 

"You don't gotta be scared to say it, Junior. I know what day it is. That's why I'm in such a good mood," 90s Kid quickly stared back at him in confusion. "Because I get to spend the whole day with my son." Harvey said softly. 90s Kid's lips wavered before rising into a smile. Before he could reply, however, he was startled by the sudden wailing of an alarm, which was followed by Nimue's voice. 

"Warning: this unit has detected a fire spreading through several of Comicron-One's engines. If action is not taken soon, the ship will suffer from massive damage." 

"Holy cow!" 

"Oh no!" The two men at the table jumped to their feet, ready to teleport onto the spaceship at once, when Linkara suddenly ran into the kitchen. 

"There you are! Come on, we've got to get up there!" 

"We're right behind ya, Kid!" 

"Not you, Harvey." Linkara shot the singer an apologetic glance but Harvey's face remained tense. 

"Why not?" 

"Because I don't think a room filled with smoke and flames is the best place for you, a recovering smoker with poor lung capacity, to be." 

"Now is not the time to be worried about my health," Harvey snapped, trying to contain his annoyance. 

"It's always the time for that," Linkara replied, unwilling to back down. "Look, if it gets really bad up there, I'll call for you, but I know Linksano and Pollo are already working on it, so 90s Kid and I should be enough to stop this for now." 

"Don't worry, dude," 90s Kid said, touching Harvey's arm softly. "We'll get this under control and I'll be right back." 

Harvey sighed but reluctantly sat back down while the two teleported out of sight. "Dumb spaceship. I knew we should have traded it in for a tour bus when we had the chance."

An hour later Harvey drummed his fingers against the table, looking moodily at 90s Kid's half-eaten stack of pancakes, wishing his best dish hadn't been left to grow cold on such a special day. He also regrettably noticed that none of his other housemates would be around to keep him company, as Ninja had long since left and Boffo was entertaining happy families in the park all day. He was about ready to teleport onto the ship himself when his phone started ringing. Smiling when he noticed who the sender was, Harvey quickly answered.

"Hey there, Junior. I was wondering what happened to you."

"Sorry it's taking so long, dude. We got the fires out but all the engines and internal machinery is totally cubed. We gotta fix it if we ever expect to fly the ship again."

Harvey's expression fell as he asked the question he already knew the answer to. "You're not coming down anytime soon, are ya?"

"I'm really, totally sorry. We're all working so hard to fix stuff, but it's not easy or fun at all. I would totally rather be hanging with you today." 

Harvey could hear the genuine sorrow in his voice and he forced himself to sound happier. "Aw, it's okay. I know how important that spaceship is to the Kid, so you keep working until its a-okay again."

"You sure?"

"Course I'm sure. You gotta do what you gotta do and I respect that. So get back to work before the Kid comes looking for ya."

"Thanks, Harvey-dude. I hope I see you soon."

"Later, Junior."

Harvey pocketed his phone once more before pressing his face into his hands and sighing. Father's Day had stopped being a completely unendurable day for him thanks to 90s Kid, but it wasn't a day that Harvey could spend alone anymore either. He would gladly inhale all the smoke in the world or work his fingers until they bled if it meant he wasn't alone on today of all days, but he knew that wouldn't work. Harvey was older and weaker than the others, as much as he hated to admit it. He might be able to fly the ship or fire a gun when he needed to, but there was so much else he couldn't do now and trying to would only worry the people he cared about. He didn't want that.

He also didn't want to be alone.

Before the depressing thoughts, which often crept up on him when he was feeling vulnerable, could start to spread through the rest of his disappointed mind, Harvey reached for his car keys. He would drive somewhere, anywhere, as long as it was filled with people. Before he could begin to formulate just where he should go, though, a flash of white caught in his peripheral vision and he turned his head, noticing for the first time that Dan was there, swaying where he stood. 

"Crockett!" Harvey, extremely grateful for the distraction, was about to invite Dan over to the breakfast table, but paused as he took in the state the man was in. Dan's face was flushed, with tiny dots of sweat oozing from his forehead; his thin frame was bent at the knees as his body quivered like a leaf; and his eyes had a vacant, glassy look to them. 

"Crockett, you look like you're about to tip over." Harvey's voice held more concern than normal. "Did you catch a summer bug or something?" 

Dan opened his mouth to reply and his words came out as a cough. He quickly covered it with his hands and took a few deep breaths before trying once again. 

"Oh, it's-it's nothing to really worry about," Dan said in as cheerful a tone as he could, pulling his mouth up into an easy smile that he was used to wearing during times of strain. "I just happened to notice that Dolly d-didn't have any cough syrup in her m-medicine cabinet and I-I'm not supposed to look through her things when she isn't h-home, so thought I'd come over to see if Kid or-or the rest of you knew where I could find some." Dan's teeth seemed to chatter every few words or so and he unconsciously rubbed his arms, even though he seemed to be dripping sweat. 

"Sorry to disappoint you, Crockett, but Junior and the Kid had to head up to the ship for some emergency repairs. Stuff's goin' cuckoo up there." Dan's face visibly fell and Harvey grimaced, hating to be the bearer of bad news. 

Dan coughed again and sniffled loudly, though more out of sickness than sadness. "Well, Kid's d-definitely a busy person. This isn’t a big deal, s-so if you could just lend me the medicine I can head home and fend this off m-myself." 

Harvey clicked his tongue as he took a closer look at the man. "So, how long you been sick?"

"I-I wouldn't call this sick, but I have been coughing a lot for a day. Or-or two, I can't really remember. B-but it hasn't been long at all." Dan spun on his heel, as if to prove himself by walking into the living room, before he stopped and flailed his arms about, eventually gripping onto the doorframe for dear life. "Whoo...got a bit d-dizzy there. Heh heh... that hasn't happened for a long time." 

Harvey frowned and approached Dan cautiously. "Crockett, are you sure you're okay?" 

"Sure! Just d-d-dandy!" Dan replied, a few droplets of sweat trickling down his reddened cheeks as he spoke. "It's just a case of the sniffles, nothing I haven't had before." 

Harvey looked Dan up and down, a skeptical expression on his face, before he pressed a hand to the younger man's forehead. Dan murmured softly and leaned into the touch, but Harvey's eyes bulged and he quickly pulled it back. "Criminy, Crockett! You're burning up! This ain't just a case of the sniffles, it's a full-blown fever."

“What? No," Dan laughed, though only for a moment, since this caused his vertigo to return. "I'm just fine, so there's no need to worry about me, Ninja."

"I'm Harvey." 

"Oh. I thought your v-voice sounded especially audible today." 

Harvey sighed. "So who's there back at your place? Dolly's out, but what about your neighbors?" Dan shook his head. "How about the robot Blue hates?" Again, Dan shook his head. "So you expect me to just hand you some cold medicine and let you go back to an empty house when you're feverish and delirious?" 

"Finally, you und-derstand." Dan glanced down, smiling dazedly, as Harvey grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the stairs. "Where are we going?" 

"To Junior's room, where you'll be spending the remainder of the day." 

"Yay, I love Kid's room." Dan didn't put up much of a fight as Harvey removed his shoes and jacket before tucking him under the covers to 90s Kid's bed. A moment later, however, Dan kicked the covers onto the floor. "It's too hot," he mumbled, even though his teeth started chattering seconds later. 

"Try this," Harvey said, laying one single sheet over Dan's legs and waist, while leaving his top half uncovered. Dan seemed content with this arrangement and quickly leaned back against 90s Kid's pillow, closing his eyes and drawing in a large breath. 

"Mmm, it smells just like Kid," he mumbled as nuzzled into it. "I wish he were here." 

"That makes two of us," Harvey mumbled before he headed into the bathroom to search for supplies.

Harvey grabbed a thermometer and several kinds of medicine out of the cabinet that would hopefully soothe Dan's throat and reduce his fever. He also walked quickly down to the kitchen to get a glass of ice water in case Dan requested it.

"Guess I won't be heading out today." Harvey had grown rather fond of Dan in recent months, especially after the experience they'd shared during 90s Kid's recent hospital stay, and the thought of leaving him to suffer in an empty house while in a fit of delirium was not something he was going to let happen. He placed all the items onto a tray and carried them up the stairs, noticing how Dan was still nuzzling 90s Kid's pillow and slightly writhing about on the bed. 

"Okay, Crockett, I got some stuff here that should hopefully have you fixed up in a jiffy," Harvey announced, counting out a few aspirin and measuring out some cough syrup into a plastic container. "You think you can sit up for me for a minute?"

"Probably not, but I'll try." Dan sighed and reluctantly turned away from the pillow before grunting as he forced himself into a sitting position. He blinked a few times, still seeming pretty dazed, while Harvey pulled the thermometer from its case. 

"I think the Kid got one of those newfangled ear ones, but I don't know where it is, so we'll have to use the classic version," he told Dan in a gruff though apologetic tone. "Open your mouth."

"Yes sir." Dan didn't seem to mind and compliantly held it under his tongue for the appropriate number of minutes, though it did slip a few times when he was overtaken by a bout of coughing. 

"103," Harvey muttered. "Yep, you're not going anywhere for the time being. Here, take this." He helped Dan swallow the cough syrup and a few sips of water before he held out the aspirin in his palm. Dan's eyes widened when he saw the pills and he batted them away, knocking them to the floor. 

"No! I don't want that! I'm not like that anymore! I'm good now!" 

"Crockett, it's just aspirin! Calm down!" Dan flopped down on the bed and pulled the sheet up over his head, cowering pathetically from the sudden increase in Harvey's volume. Harvey sighed and left Dan to his own devices as dropped to his knees in search of the missing pills. 

90s Kid's floor was covered in junk, and it seemed as if he hadn't cleaned under his bed for months if the giant dust bunnies and crushed soda bottles were anything to go by, but after a few minutes Harvey was victorious in his search. Groaning slightly as he pulled himself back onto his feet, Harvey clenched the pills tightly in his hand and looked down at the bed. 

"Okay, we're gonna try this again." Harvey gently pulled down the sheet and braced himself for another outburst, but instead found Dan sleeping soundly, 90s Kid's pillow curled protectively in his arms. Harvey rolled his eyes, but a trace of a smile could be seen on his face as he pulled the covers back up and around Dan's body. Sleep really was the best thing for him right now. 

Sometime later, Dan awoke with a start and sat bolt upright in bed. "ROB, look out! Those aren't gyros!" 

"Easy, Crockett." Dan blinked glassy eyes in confusion at the voice before turning to Harvey, who was sitting in a rocking chair beside the bed, a newspaper folded neatly over his knee. 

"H-Harvey?" 

"It's just me and no one else. You were having a bad dream." 

"What-what are you doing?" 

"Well, until you started screaming about robots, I was doing the crossword." Harvey pulled a pen from behind his ear and unfolded the paper. "You should know this one. 1981 heavy metal band. 9 letters." 

Dan continued staring at him. "No, I mean...what are you doing here? With me?" 

Harvey raised an eyebrow at Dan. "I'm getting the distinct impression you want me to leave. Is that it?" 

"N-no, no, I don't want you to leave! I just never thought you'd stay...why would you...?" 

Harvey's lips pursed into a frown as Dan trailed off. "You’re not thinking straight because your head's on fire. Lay back down." 

"Mm, yes sir." While Dan did as instructed, Harvey fetched a washcloth soaked in cool water from the bathroom before gently pressing it to Dan's forehead. Dan sighed in relief and closed his eyes again. "Thank you," he murmured. 

"You're welcome. Now, you hungry? My soup's almost done. It's not quite as good as my pancakes but I think you'll enjoy it."

"I didn't order any soup, but it sounds good." 

Harvey sighed and got up, placing the newspaper on the chair. "I'll go get it; you just stay there and try to rest. That fever's goin' to your head, Crockett."

Dan murmured something soft and indistinguishable, still relishing the feeling of the cold cloth against his burning forehead. Harvey went down to the kitchen once again and ladled some of the soup into a bowl, hoping that getting a bit of food into Dan would help him find his way back to reality.

"Nimue, can I have an update on the ship?" he asked as he headed toward the stairs.

"Three engines are still in need of vital repairs. Estimated time of completion is six hours, thirty eight minutes." 

"Of course." Harvey sighed. "Thanks for the update." He had been hoping that 90s Kid would finally be able to leave and could assist him in bringing Dan back to health, but he should have expected things wouldn't be so easy. Not wanting to keep Dan waiting any longer, Harvey carried the tray into the teen's room. 

"Here we are: hot soup for a hot fever. My Ma used to make this stuff whenever I had a fever as a tyke. Always made me feel loads better." 

Dan's lips curled into a half-smile as he shivered once again. "Mmm...she sounds nice." 

Harvey nodded fondly. "She was." 

"Tell me about it." 

"Tell you what?" Harvey looked over to Dan, not understanding. 

Dan turned to Harvey, still smiling a bit. "Tell me how she made you soup and took care of you when you were sick." 

"Uh, well, I thought I just did." 

"Tell me again." 

Harvey frowned. "Crockett, uh, I know you're under the weather, but that's kind of an odd request." 

"Oh. Sorry." Dan curled onto his side, his gazing dropping. "It just sounded so nice. A nice mom looking after her nice son...it's like a fairy tale. I stopped reading fairy tales a long time ago...but I never stopped liking them." 

Harvey's heart clenched and he felt a sickening sensation in his stomach that he tried to ignore. "Alright, sit up before the soup gets cold," he said, trying to ignore the feelings swirling around inside him. Dan groaned before awkwardly forcing himself upright and then weakly extending his hands to take the bowl. "No way I'm trusting you with this," Harvey said, pulling the bowl away from him. "If you spill on Junior's things, I'll never hear the end of it." 

"But I'm hungry," Dan whined, pouting as if he were suddenly four years old. 

"I know, so I'll do it." Harvey spooned up a bit of soup and moved it toward Dan's mouth. "Open up." 

"Yes sir!" Dan smiled as he swallowed, which caused Harvey to smile as well. "Mmm. I like this." 

"I knew my Ma's blend of chicken, vegetables, and spices couldn't steer you wrong." 

"Yeah, and there's no beer." 

Harvey's hand froze mid-way to Dan's mouth. "Beer, did you say?" 

Dan nodded and leaned forward to claim the spoon himself. "Yep. That was my mom's favorite soup. She drank it all the time, even when she wasn't sick." Dan once again leaned forward for more soup and realized that Harvey's hand was frozen and that the singer looked to be deep in thought. "Oh. I made you feel bad. Sorry." 

"Huh?" Harvey started and shook his head. "N-no, I was just thinking. It wasn't about you, so you don't have to apologize for that." 

Dan smiled. "You're lying, but okay. I don't want to make you feel bad again or else that second head of yours might start yelling at me." 

Harvey sighed. "Still seeing things. I guess that fever hasn't broken yet. Come on; finish this so I can get you a new washcloth for your head." 

"Yes sir." Harvey shifted in discomfort. He knew Dan had a tendency to reply like this and usually in a flippant manner, but he'd been repeating that quite often lately and the way he said it was starting to sound odd. 

"We're not in the service, Crockett. You don't gotta call me anything but Harvey."

Dan licked a bit of chicken from his lips and nodded. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Harvey bit his lip and wrestled with a question before finally letting it slip out. "Did you...call your dad that? Sir, I mean?" 

Dan blinked a few times before laughing. "Hehehe yeah. He always wanted me to call him sir. He demanded it. Hehehehe." 

"Why is that funny?" 

"Because he demanded it. He demanded respect. But I never gave it to him. Because he was horrible. Hehehehe, God was he horrible." 

"Okay, I shouldn't have asked." Harvey set the empty soup bowl down and quickly stood up, grabbing the now warm wash cloth. Still giggling deliriously, Dan laid back down but said nothing further, to Harvey's relief. He lingered a bit longer than necessary in the bathroom before finally running the cold water over the cloth, and by the time he returned to 90s Kid's room, Dan was once again curled up on the bed with the sheet drawn tightly over his head. 

"Aw crud, is he asleep again?" Harvey muttered. 

"Yes," came the muffled reply. Harvey tugged the sheet back down again and peered into Dan's face, noting his eyes were scrunched close, like a child who was feigning sleep. 

"Why are you doing that?" 

"I feel bad cuz I ruined your day." 

"Crockett, you did not ruin my day," Harvey said in a firm tone as he sat back down in his rocking chair. "That already happened when the damn spaceship went up in flames." 

"But if that hadn't happened, I would have still come over here, and Kid would have done all the stuff you're doing now, and it would have ruined your day." Dan opened his eyes, which were now tear-filled. "Sorry, Harvey. I just ruin everything..." 

"Hey!" Dan jumped and closed his eyes again, shuddering as Harvey leaned in close to him. To his surprise, he felt only a cool cloth against his neck and forehead, which caused him to sigh. "Just relax. This isn't your fault," Harvey murmured. "You've got nothing to be sorry for." 

"But it's...your day," Dan moaned. "Yours and Kid's...and it's gone." 

"We'll have plenty of days to be together. Right now, what's important is you and making sure you get better." Dan gazed up at Harvey.

"You don't think I should...just tough it out alone? Just be a man and stop bothering everyone?"

"What would be the point of that? Being sick is the most important time to let other people take care of ya. You think a real man suffers in silence, Crockett? Maybe some choose to live that way, but I pity a man who wants to be alone when he has the option of leaning on someone who cares."

Dan's eyes started to shine and his smile wavered. "You're different...you're nice...and warm...Kid is lucky. I wish I could've been as lucky as him...I wish...you had been my dad..." 

Harvey brushed the spilt tears from his cheeks and bent over to kiss the top of Dan's head. "I already am, son."

Dan's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as more tears spilled out and rolled down his cheeks. "W-what...did you say?" he asked in a tiny voice, uncertain if he was hallucinating or not.

Harvey looked into Dan's vulnerable eyes and saw a lost, scared child looking back up at him, which caused him to stroke Dan's cheek gently with his hand and offer him a tender smile. 

"I said I already am your dad, son. I can already tell that your father didn't give you the kind of parenting you deserved," Harvey said sadly. "It seems the concept of being a decent father has become lost to so many people nowadays. I never felt more prided than when I was being the best father I could be to my Charlie, but you and Junior both seemed to have wounded up with fathers who didn't understand what a gift a son could be. They never realized how important it was to let their kids know how loved they were, how much of a gift they were, because you never knew...you never when that gift could be lost forever..." 

Harvey paused and blinked back a few tears which threatened to spill out. "But I promise this is going to be different – that I'm going to be different. You boys are so important to me and I'm gonna prove that to ya in any way I can. I'd give anything to be the kind of father that you need, Dan." 

Dan whimpered softly as Harvey dropped his usual moniker, though a shaky smile was starting to come over his face. "Am I really good enough?" he whispered, a cascade of insults and screaming and far worse incidents flooding his memories. "Can I really...be worthy of this? I know I'm not s-son material, but-" 

"But you are. Of course you are," Harvey broke in, stroking Dan's hair softly and making the younger man's eyes close. "You've been showing me just how strong you are, Dan. You've been doing everything you can to better yourself, to fight with us, and that doesn't even begin to cover what you do for Junior." Harvey's eyes twinkled with gratitude as he looked down at Dan. "Junior's told me how you've taken care of him from the day you two found your way to each other. Back when even I wasn't taking care of him the way I should have...but you were always there for him. And now I want to be there for both my sons." 

Dan couldn't stop himself from weeping softly in gratitude, hoping with all the strength left in him that this wasn't a fever dream he was imagining. "I...I don't know how to thank you...I really...can't tell you enough...how much I need you...Dad..." Dan whispered, hoping that he wouldn't destroy everything with that one word.

Harvey swallowed thickly, unable this time to stop his eyes from prickling with tears. He wiped them away with his handkerchief before reaching out once more to Dan and stroking his hair softly. "You don't have to thank me. I want this. I want to be there for you and for Junior. You're good boys...you're my boys...and I'm gonna be there when you need me. So don't ever feel bad for needing me because I...I need you too." 

Harvey wiped a few more tears away and felt relieved when he realized Dan was sleeping. He was feeling slightly overwhelmed at the moment, but simply sitting there and watching Dan sleep helped to calm him down. Soon Harvey leaned back in his rocking chair, closing his eyes as he thought about what had just transpired, before he too drifted off. 

Harvey snapped his eyes open when he heard anguished moaning and rocking right next to him. He realized Dan was in the throes of a nightmare and quickly grasped his shoulders, trying to wake him. 

"Crockett! Crockett, it's okay! It's okay, everything's okay!" 

"What?" Dan trembled as he opened his eyes, looking around wildly. "Where is he?! Is he gone?!" 

"No one's here but me," Harvey explained, as calmly and clearly as a man with a racing heart could. 

"Oh. I was...was dreaming." Dan gripped the ends of the bedsheet tightly as he recalled the vision. "I was in the dark and I was looking for you, but I couldn't find you. Then my dad came. He said I wasn't good enough for you, but he was g-gonna make a real m-man out of me yet..." Dan trailed off with a whimper, flinching when he felt a hand on his forehead, but relaxing again when those fingers lost themselves in his hair. 

"He can't get to you. I'm here. You're safe here," Harvey said in a soothing tone. "You feel a lot cooler now. I think your fever broke. Hopefully that means those awful nightmares will end too." 

Dan sighed in relief. "Thank you, Harvey. Sorry for being such a nuisance lately." 

"Forget about it." 

"Yes sir." 

Harvey flinched. "And knock it off with the sir business. I'm just Harvey now. Or..." 

Harvey trailed off, uncertain if he should bring up the other name he'd like for Dan to call him. Before he could come to a decision, the door to the bedroom suddenly burst open. 

"Dan! Oh dude, how are you feeling? I would have been here sooner but the stupid engines were, like, the most unradical charred mess you've ever seen!" 

"Kid. I missed you." Dan smiled as the teenager climbed onto the bed and pulled him into his arms. "Sweetie, no, you'll get my germs." 

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you 'til you feel better." 

"Well, I better go stock up on soup supplies then," Harvey said as he started gather things onto the empty tray. "I'll leave you two to rest." 

"Harvey-dude, I'm so totally sorry about our day not being awesome," 90s Kid called out in a sad tone. 

"It's okay, Junior. Like I told Crockett here, we've got plenty of days, so we can spare a few here and there." Harvey chuckled at the forlorn faces peering at him from the bed. "Don't look like that. I'm fine, really. In fact, I'll pop in before bedtime to prove I'm still right as rain, okay?" 

"Okay." 

"See you, Harvey." 

Harvey nodded at the two before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

Dan curled into 90s Kid's embrace gladly, burying his face in his chest and inhaling his scent deeply, glad that he didn't have to experience it through a pillow any longer. 90s Kid reached for the wet rag and wiped up the sweat that still covered Dan thanks to his broken fever. 

"I'm sorry, Dan. That stupid fire totally messed up today, and not just for me and Harvey-dude, but you too. I totally wish I could have taken care of you." 

Dan nuzzled against him and shook his head. "It's okay, sweetie. I know the fire was more important. Besides, I had Harvey here. He helped look after me." Dan clung to 90s Kid a little tighter, feeling suddenly timid as he thought back to what had happened. 

90s Kid, who was sensitive to Dan's emotions, noticed this and hugged him tighter back. "What's wrong, Dan?" 

Dan let out a shaky breath. "I...I was delirious for most of today, so I don't know if it even happened, but…I really hope it happened. I really, really needed it to happen..." 

90s Kid was growing more and more curious. "What happened, dude? You can tell me." 

Dan shyly raised his eyes up to 90s Kid's. "While I was out of it due to my fever, I...I said a lot of things I didn't really mean to say. About my parents, and how my mom was always drunk and my dad was...you know." 90s Kid hugged him tighter and nodded solemnly, already knowing a decent amount of knowledge on the subject, none of which he liked. "But Harvey, he...I can't be sure, but I think that he c-called me son. He said that he wanted me to be his son, l-like you."

"Harvey really said that?" 90s Kid asked in surprise. "Wow. I knew he totally liked you a lot, but he must really like you, Dan." 

"But-but that can't possibly be true, can it? Why would Harvey want someone like me, when he already has you?" Dan dropped his gaze, expecting 90s Kid to confirm his fears that he likely dreamed up the whole thing.

90s Kid frowned at Dan's sudden self-deprecating comments then and he nuzzled his cheek. "What are you saying? Anybody would be lucky to have you as a son, Dan, and if Harvey feels that way, then you must be someone totally special. He has a super big heart, big enough for three kids, so you'd fit right in." 

"But I don't even know if he really said that. I might have been dreaming..." 

"We can just ask him when he comes back later."

Dan gripped the front of the teen's shirt tightly. "No, don't do that!" 

"Why not?" 

"Because if he didn't say it, I really don't want to have to explain why I thought he did..." Dan sighed and rolled over, curling into a ball once again. "Or maybe he did say it, but just to be nice because I was sick. He might have expected me to forget it now that I'm better." 

90s Kid wrapped his arms around Dan and kissed the back of his head. "Harvey wouldn't do that. If he said it, he meant it. Don't worry so much about it, Dan. You need to rest right now and focus on getting better. Everything will be okay, I promise." 

Even though Dan usually trusted when 90s Kid told him to, he couldn't quite manage to believe his words so easily and when he drifted off to sleep, he still felt confused. 

Later that night, when 90s Kid and Dan were in the middle of a spirited debate over who would win in a fight, The Backstreet Boys or New Kids on the Block, there was a knock on the door. 

"Hate to interrupt this stirring discussion, but I wanted to see how the patient was doing," Harvey said as he poked his head into the room. Dan, feeling suddenly shy, leaned back against the pillow, but 90s Kid smiled widely at the singer. 

"He's feeling much better and I totally think he'll back to normal in like a day or so." 

"Glad to hear it."

90s Kid bent down and whispered into Dan's ear until the older man sighed and nodded. He coughed a few times before clearing his throat and glancing up at Harvey, uncertainty in his eyes. 

"Um, Harvey? I can't exactly remember everything that happened today...I feel like we had an important conversation but I might have just been dreaming that. Was I?" 

Harvey looked over to Dan with a smile, but it faded a bit when he saw how nervous and confused the man still looked. He wanted to get all the doubt out of his mind once and for all, so he looked at his watch and then approached the bed. 

"It's getting late, so you boys might wanna get some sleep soon. Especially you, Crockett, I wanna make sure you get all the rest you need to get back to normal." Dan nodded, unsure of what to say, watching as Harvey sat down on the edge of the bed. "I really want you feeling better for tomorrow. Since we didn't have our day today, I was hoping we could make up for it by going hog wild tomorrow. Whattaya say? Shall we have our Father's Day tomorrow?"

"I'm totally there!" 90s Kid cried.

"And you, Crockett?" Dan looked at him, stunned, and Harvey smiled. "It wasn't a dream. I said every word and I meant every word. I want both my boys with me." 

Dan tried hard to keep more tears from showing as he smiled and curled into 90s Kid's embrace once again. "I can't even tell you how much I'd love that, Harvey." 

"Neither can I." Harvey stood up and reached down for the covers curiously. 

"You know, whenever Junior gets sick, I always like to sing for him to help him sleep easy," he murmured softly, looking down at the two boys lying in bed. "How do you feel about me doing that for you, Dan?"

"No one's ever sung for me," Dan admitted as he curled even closer to 90s Kid. "But I...I think I'd like it."

Harvey tucked the covers around both of their bodies warmly. "Then close your eyes and relax."

As Harvey belted out a soft, soothing tune, he was pleased to see it have an immediate effect on the boys. 90s Kid was soon snoring softly and Dan seemed more relaxed and at peace than he'd been all day. Once he'd finished, Harvey ruffled both of their heads and turned softly toward the door.

"Harvey?"

"Yeah, Dan?"

"The answer you were looking for was Metallica."

Harvey chuckled. "I knew you had it in you. Thanks, son."

"Thanks for spending the day with me...Dad."

Harvey beamed. It may not have been the Father's Day he'd predicted, but it had been needed, for both of them.


End file.
